Dining Out: Ulla (Take 2)

Hands down, Ulla is our favourite fancy food restaurant. You'll see why, all the food is so pretty! And delicious too, of course.

cctopus, black hummus, goat yogurt, olive crumbs, roasted tomato, crostini

 It was our second time, and just as memorable as the first.

And why is it that all of our favourite places are not in our own city? Andrew said it's a good thing, because we would spend way too much money eating out if they were.

 The special on the board had my name written all over it. I also had the lamb special last time.

 And it was divine.

buttermilk poached chicken breast, crispy boneless chicken leg, pea cream tortellini, peas and carrots three ways each, chicken gravy

 The buttermilk poached chicken breast was the juiciest and smoothest chicken we've ever had. I asked if it was sous vide. Yes, yes it was.

 A closer look at my brick of lamb, covered on all six sides with a rich scrumptious glaze.

vanilla rhubarb, orange sabayon, almond praline, micro mint, creme fraiche ice-cream

The rhubarb was crunchy, very unexpected and delicious. 

What a great meal.

fine time

We enjoyed a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa.

 We love spending time with them.

 Especially in such beautiful surroundings.

 Castle caught his first fish. (With the help of Grandpa.)

 There was some fish surgery required to release him.

 Then Castle was right back at it.

 He didn't want to go inside all weekend.

 Unrelated, but also happened this weekend...

 We were at the David Foster Foundation benefit concert.

 He sat quietly, but I think being in the same room as Muhammad Ali was the highlight.

 Along with Wayne Gretzky.

 Sarah McLachlan was great live.

 And then there was this guy.

He can really sing.

Apple Frangipane Gallette

Even though it was a rainy day, we had high hopes. But all of that diminished when I realized that the stroller was in the car, and the car was with Andrew at work, an hour away.

Then I looked outside and the sky turned black and it started to pour. Inside day it is. So we whipped out all 64 crayons and started testing out each one.

Why don't they make crayons with at least one flat edge? That way they don't roll around and off the table so much.

And good thing we stayed in, because look at his outfit. It's Christmas, oh how it clashes, embarrassing.

We did managed to be productive - baking Apple Frangipane Gallette.

I got so anxiously excited when I thought about making it that the hardest part was waiting for the puff pastry to thaw.

 1 sheet of frozen puff pasty, thawed, cut into three.

 Spread on frangipane. 

Frangipane - mix all together in this order: 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbs butter, 1 egg, 1/4 tsp almond or vanilla extract, 1 tbs flour, 1/2 cup fine ground almonds.

 Peel and slice two golden delicious apples, mix with 2 tbs of sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon optional. arrange on top of frangipane.

Bake 400C for 20 minutes. Brush a warmed, similar flavoured jelly on top so it's shiny. I used pear jam.

Cut and serve with whipped cream!

Latest LEGO Things, some more

I received my Mother's Day present in a LEGO box.

 To be completely honest, I like the LEGO box much more than the bracelet presented inside.

 The lid was even on a hinge.

 And then there was the new and improved tissue cozy.

 This castle, is a bit more fortified than the previous.

Observer

Yesterday morning Andrew sneezed and Castle responded with, "Bless you."

 That was a first, and we never taught him that. That little observer is really observant. Gotta be very careful with what we say now. 

He has also been pointing towards the bathroom or saying, "bo-bo" while patting his diaper before he goes poop. It's a sign. Must run out to buy a potty.

Happy Victoria Day long weekend! Hope it's sunny where you are.

Vietnamese night

I had no idea it was so easy.

 We had a homemade Vietnamese dinner with friends and I made some Nuoc Cham for the first time, the dipping sauce that goes with everything in a Vietnamese meal.

 Garlic, chili, lime, fish sauce, sugar, vinegar, and water. I searched for recipes online, and all of them differed highly in proportions, so I made up one that sounded it would taste good.

The boys waited with some serious reading.

Not to worry about those burnt logs, they are not burnt, those yummy things are beef wrapped in grape leaves. We also had lemongrass chicken, pork patties, and vermicelli noodles plus all the fixings, of course. We must do this again.

First Harvest

We had our first harvest from our mini urban garden this week.

 I'm so thankful for our big south facing balcony, it's no backyard but it will do. And for my gardener husband, who bought a tree because he wanted to look at a tree while sits at his desk.

We had a salad with the butter lettuce and grilled bok choi at lunch.

 The bok choi in particular are growing like crazy.

 An assortment of herbs went in also.

The tomatoes we started from seed are looking a bit weak. I'm hoping that the fertilizer will start kicking in soon.

My favourite things of the moment from our urban garden are Castle's flip flops. I remember wanting a pair for my kid even before I had a kid. Chubby little toes look so cute in baby flip flops. It's the little things, figuratively and physically. 

He's a good little helper, that boy.

Big Boy Now

I'm trying to savour every ounce of this boy of mine. Last week I watched him transform before my very eyes. His face, different. It has been elongated, and his expressions are more subtle. He is learning to say more words, and often understands what we are saying but simply can not voice his own opinions. 

(The boy discovering how the as seen on TV Magic Mesh works. As you can see, it does not fit every door, nor does it "install in seconds.")

He shares his emotions with the rest of the world using three moods: joyful, introspective, and crank monster. The observer in him stands out the most. He is the last to participate, as he spends all his time wondering if it's safe to proceed. He does not have a soother or blanky, rather, he has taken to using my legs as a human shield whenever he is uncomfortable. In a little over a month he will turn two. Already.
The days are long, but the years are short.

Mom

Thank you Mom, for all that you do.

 Thank you for nurturing, teaching, praying and believing.

 Thank you for all of your sacrifices.

 Thank you for your unending love.

Thank you for being the best Mom.

And to all the other fantastic mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day! I hope you get spoiled. Keep doing what you are doing, you are the best Mom your child could ever have.